Hall of Fame Weekend--Part Two

Jim "Mudcat" Grant created a bit of a stir in Cooperstown on Thursday when he likened Barry Bonds to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Basically, Grant said that Bonds has been put under same kind of intense scrutiny of someone running for president, which has made him a target for criticism on so many fronts. Grant defended Bonds in the interview, saying that he deserves the presumption of innocence on the steroid issue. Grant's defense of Bonds isn't surprising considering his long friendship with Barry's late father, Bobby Bonds. Grant pitched against the elder Bonds in the late 1960s and early seventies, when Mudcat played for the Expos, Cardinals and Pirates and Bobby starred for the Giants. Frankly, what Grant said amounted to very little in terms of real controversy, but it did make a few headlines...

I've sometimes compared Mudcat to the late Buck O'Neil, as far as their abilities to charmingly spin stories and make friends. Well, O'Neill will officially be honored on Friday afternoon, when the Hall unveils his new bronze statue in a ceremony taking place in front of the Museum. The statue coincides with a new award the Hall has created, the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. O'Neill, who died two years ago, will be named the first winner of the award during Sunday afternoon's induction ceremony...

I'm off to the Otesaga Hotel, where I'll be interviewing Hall of Famers Juan Marichal, Luis Aparicio, Orlando Cepeda, and Tony Perez. The material from these video interviews will be used by the Hall of Fame as part of a new permanent exhibit about the Latino baseball experience. The new exhibit will debut in 2009. Hey, I'm just excited about being allowed into the Otesaga. It's where all the Hall of Famers stay, and security is usually at the level of something that might be employed by the CIA. Hopefully, they'll let me in the door.